Bobcat’s Toolcat 5600 Features Versatility

by Richard O. Aichele

In late 2002, Adam Dreher, owner of Adam Dreher Contracting in Kinderhook, NY. made the rounds of equipment dealers looking for a small utility vehicle. “Wait a few months. There will be a new unit coming out from Bobcat,” suggested Joel Rauf, the Bobcat sales manager for Finke Equipment in Selkirk, NY and their affiliate Bobcat of Saratoga in Saratoga Springs, NY. Dreher said when the sales literature for Bobcat’s new Toolcat Utility Work Machine Toolcat 5600 arrived he became very interested but was still a little reluctant: “I wanted to run it and find out if it was as smooth and refined as the pictures seemed to indicate. And I wanted to see if the engineering was up to the specs.” After the first prototype arrived at Finke Equipment, Dreher said he had to spend only 15 minutes in the operator’s seat before telling Rauf, “I’ll take one.”

Versatility was one of the features that made the Toolcat 5600 appealing for Dreher. His small contracting business continues to develop a growing local market niche in light excavation work for new building construction and septic system work; light construction work including building extensive patios and retaining wall construction. For the company’s winter role as the second most active snow removal contractor in and around Kinderhook, the Toolcat 5600 is quickly proving to be an excellent investment during one of the snowiest winters in many years.
Bobcat has tried to incorporate some of the best features of a loader, pickup truck and attachment carrier into the new Toolcat 5600. Powered by a 44 hp Kubota diesel, the 4400 lb. unit (without attachments mounted) has a total rated capacity of 4200 lb. combined weight of load on lift arm, cargo box load, operator, passenger and tow weight if equipped with a hitch. The 60 x 52 x 10 inches cargo box is equipped with duel hydraulic cylinders for lift and is rated for a maximum load of 2000 lbs. The machine uses the Bob-Tach quick attachment system mounted to the loader with the hydraulic system featuring quick couplers and a pressure release system.
Rauf said the first Toolcat 5600 delivered in the state of New York went to Adam Dreher Contracting the last day of January 2003. And because versatility is important to Dreher and Toolcat has the capability of quick changeouts of attachments by one person, he also bought a 7 ft. snow blade, a 66 inch snow blower, 48 inch pallet forks, a 60 inch material bucket and a salt spreader for mounting on the rear of the dump box. He also added several options including doors to totally enclose the cab, air conditioning and the heater.
The standard Toolcat 5600 has an innovative all-wheel steering system and a 17-foot turning diameter. Dreher said he expects those features will be especially useful working in confined areas for excavating and has already proven its value during parking lot snow removal work where maneuvering room can be limited due to parked vehicles. For the same operating reason, he appreciates the very high visibility of the Toolcat 5600’s cab design.
For mid-size contractors, equipment purchases are major investments and finding dealers that actively work to support that niche market can take time.
Last year Dreher was looking to replace his 11-year-old Kubota excavator with an articulated wheel loader. Finke Equipment in Selkirk, NY was on the list of equipment dealers to visit “but Bobcat didn’t have one. I was ready to buy another brand but it had some features I didn’t like so I held off. My old excavator worked fine but I wanted to upgrade from the ten year old unit,” he said. Not long after he reviewed his equipment needs and went back to Finke Equipment to look at Bobcat’s D Series excavator. Comparing the variety of equipment options among different dealers, he said he decided Bobcat’s D Series excavator offered the features and price that made it the best deal for his company. Dreher said while price is important he “shops for the product.” When he bought Bobcat’s D series excavator he recalled, “It was nice to see they had a product so feature rich and was almost $10,000 less than comparable units out there.”
Dreher said the equipment needs of a contracting company his size do not appeal to all dealers. “Some of the heavy iron dealers don’t want to talk to you unless you want to buy a quarter million dollar piece of equipment. At the other end, some dealers specialize more in residential type customers. But the needs of the light construction market is a whole different breed,” he noted. And while Finke Equipment is well established working with big time contractors, he said their customer service for smaller contractors “has been pretty good.” in their role. That customer service record as the New York State Bobcat dealer in Selkirk and Saratoga Springs has been enough for Adam Dreher Contracting to come back after taking delivery of the Bobcat D Series excavator last year to taking delivery of the new Bobcat Toolcat 5600 this year.

Published in Hard Hat News